Kobe Bryant; Proud to be an American!

I’m not a big NBA fan, but I am proud to be an American and a brand new Kobe Bryant Lakers fan.

In an interview with Cris Collinsworth, Kobe Bryant explains how “thrilled” he felt when he received his team USA uniform, saying he “just stared at it” and what an honor it was for him to have it.

Here's some of the interview;
Collinsworth: "Where does the patriotism come from inside of you? Historically, what is it?"

Kobe: "Well, you know it’s just our country, it’s… we believe is the greatest country in the world. It has given us so many great opportunities, and it’s just a sense of pride that you have; that you say ‘You know what? Our country is the best!"


Collinsworth: "Is that a ‘cool’ thing to say, in this day and age? That you love your country, and that you’re fighting for the red, white and blue? It seems sort of like a day gone by."

Kobe: "No, it’s a cool thing for me to say. I feel great about it, and I’m not ashamed to say it. I mean, this is a tremendous honor."

That's what I call an American Patriot! Way to go Kobe!

It's really sad to see how surprised Collinsworth was with his answers and the genuine honor and pride Kobe expressed.

If you want to watch the smack-down interview go to (hat-tip) MsUnderestimated to download the video.

A sign of the times...

I was reading a post by Debbie Schlussel on the rampant incompetence of the TSA. In the article, Schlussel goes on to point out amid TSA security failures they also neglect to implement procedures to remedy these issues.

It begs the question; are we any safer taking off our shoes and in the case of many travelers (my husband included) being subject to the “behind the screen” secondary scrutiny prior to boarding an aircraft? Or is it a facade designed repel would be terrorists?

Anyway, included in her post was this picture taken by Dean Shaddock as he was collecting his belongings in the Detroit airport. I think this a perfect example of how political correctness is altering reality.

From the photograher, Dean Shaddock:This was captured as I collected my things from airport security (Detroit Metro Concourse A). I think of it as something like a Rorschach test. Is an elderly Catholic nun being frisked by a Muslim security agent the celebration of blind justice? Or is it simply an admission of absurdity?

Book review; "The Case For Israel"

I just finished reading “The Case For Israel” by Alan Dershowitz. As one of America's leading attorneys, a Harvard Law professor and a defender of individual liberties, Dershowitz utilizes these credentials to facilitate a detailed analysis of the issues fuelling the continuing war against the Jewish state. His impassioned defense of the state of Israel, arguing that, although the country is not perfect, it remains the only outpost of democracy in the middle east, answering critics who accuse Israel of being an imperialist power and documenting the facts about the nature of the conflict between Israel and the palestinians.



The book is reads like a defence legal brief, every chapter begins by outlining the accusations and accusers, the reality and the proof.


As I worked my way through each accusation chapter, I realized Dershowitz does not use religion as a defense or justification for the actions by the Jewish nation. Using simple logic, historical facts along with UN and NGO data to refute the wide spectrum of allegations ranging from human rights abuses and war crimes to genocide, racism and thwarting peace in the region.



In making the case, Dershowitz refers to the fundamental point and historical fact that the palestinians have been offered statehood on three separate occasions, in 1937, 1947 and 2000-2001. On each occasion the book describes how each offer was rejected and on each occasion the response was an increase in terrorism. The case is clearly made that Arafat and Abbas are responsible for the failure to bring peace in the region, to create a state and govern the palestinian people.

The book provides evidence of a global double standard. Israel is singled out by the UN for condemnation while the palestinians enjoy an elevated position among refugees employing the services of their very own UN agency, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. This, in my opinion, only serves to perpetuate the cycle. For decades neighboring arab nations have refused to absorb these refugees living along and within their borders. The global community would rather demonize Israel for the plight of the palestinians. Holding Israel to a higher standard than any other nation while expecting violence and barbarism from her muslim neighbors. Those expectations are simply racist and anti-Semitic.

I find it astonishing that millions of European refugees were able to move forward and rebuild their lives following the end of the second world war. Yet we have millions of palestinians holding on to 40 year old house keys, an entire people being used as pawns by terrorists who want nothing more than to destroy the state of Israel.

The weekend visit

I’m a bit tired this morning. I was up at 5am, nervous about the job interview I have this afternoon. Christopher and his girlfriend came for the weekend and prior to his arrival, I was given a list of food he had a taste for….

Being an accommodating and loving mother to a spoiled only child, I cooked my “bone-on-bone L3 &4 vertebrae’s” off. The Batman peanut butter fudge was a big hit, Christopher said it looked awesome.

They left Cleveland after work Saturday morning (they work 7pm to 7am at one of the many Cleveland Clinic hospitals, my son is an LPN and “A” is an STNA, they’re both studying to be RNs) and arrived around 10:30 or so. While catching up Nick wanted to show Christopher the new flat-screen TV he bought. In passing, Christopher mentioned “Dad, my tires are starting to squeak and I have about 40k miles on the car”. What's that I smell, my debit card beginning to smoke?????

They both looked tired and after a short house tour for “A” we took them upstairs to their rooms. I proceeded to the kitchen to begin dinner and Nick took the Mustang for new tires, a car wash and topped off the gas tank. Once he got back home he turned to detailing the inside of the boys ride. He was very appreciative.


I started the chicken paprikash and dumplings. Nick popped in to snap photo of me looking my “momma mia” best at the stove.

There's the chicken paprikash, another 3 dozen dumplings to go!

So I returned the favor by catching him hard at work detailing the inside of the “Stang”, with his McCain sticker proudly displayed in the back window. I so love my young republican!

They got up around 4pm and weren't hungry yet, so we played Wii and ate sausage roll and fudge, (kids!?!?). We did sit down to dinner at 7pm and of course they weren't very hungry. So I packed the leftovers up and put them in the freezer so he could take it home. While I cleaned the kitchen they played more wii, pool and pulled Christopher's large bin of LEGO's out and began to build. We played more Wii, then watched TV and went to bed at midnight.

I was up at 6:30am Sunday morning so I could start my sauce and meatballs. Christopher also wanted frozen cavatells and garlic toast while he was here. They wanted to be on the road by 5:30 so I planned on serving dinner around 3:00. It takes about 7 hours for my sauce to cook.

Sunday was spent hanging out playing Wii and the kids took a walk. After dinner I was able to get some pictures outside, and out of respect for their privacy, I will not be including “A”.

Christopher and me....

Christopher and "Bosco" Chris' name for Hershey Bar...

Once the car was loaded with duffle bags, leftovers and a few bags of grocery goodies I picked up for him, they were on their way home.

I cried, hard. I love my son very, very much, obviously. But I also thanked our Lord for the worriless nights I spend knowing he’s not in jail, sleeping under a bridge hooked on drugs and at (almost 23 next month) he’s not a “daddy” yet. I thank God for the decisions he made. Even though Nick and I set him on the path, Christopher made the choice to stay there and do the right things.

I love you Hoffie, and we're so very proud of you......

Beheading on bus in Canada

Scroll down for update;

It's time to play "name that religion"!

Debbie Schlussel has posted a report on a beheading in Canada. The beheading of a passenger by his seatmate as fellow passengers fled. Debbie nails it!

Reuters is reporting; WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - A man sleeping on a Greyhound bus as it rolled across the Canadian Prairies was killed and decapitated by his seatmate as horrified passengers fled to safety in the night, witnesses and police said on Thursday.

"All of a sudden, we all heard this scream, this bloodcurdling scream," said Garnet Caton, who was sitting just in front of the victim on the bus. Caton said that when the attack was over, the knife-wielding killer displayed his victim's severed head to the onlookers.

A 40-year-old man was taken into custody at the scene on Wednesday evening on a desolate stretch of the TransCanada Highway about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, but has not been charged, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Police declined to speculate on what prompted the attack, and witnesses said the victim and killer, who apparently did not know each other, had enjoyed a casual cigarette break with other passengers only minutes before the attack.

Witnesses described a scene of bloody mayhem that erupted without warning on the bus, which was traveling east to Winnipeg, Manitoba, on a routine scheduled run.

"The attacker was standing up right over top of the guy with a large hunting knife -- a survival, Rambo knife -- holding the guy and continually stabbing him, stabbing him, stabbing him in the chest area," Caton told CBC Television.

The attack continued as other passengers fled the bus and waited for police, Caton said. He said he, the driver and another passenger desperately tried to hold the bus door closed to prevent the attacker from leaving.

"He calmly walks up to the front (of the bus) with the head in his hand and the knife and just calmly stares at us and drops the head right in front of us," Caton said.

"There was no rage in him ... It was just like he was a robot or something."

Police praised the calmness and cooperation of the passengers, who were taken to a hotel in Brandon, Manitoba, and were being given crisis counseling and other assistance by authorities and Greyhound.

"Believe me, if we could do our jobs without having you relive this terrible experience we would," RCMP staff Sargent Steve Colwell said in a statement to the passengers that was read to reporters in Winnipeg.

Passengers said they were having difficulty coping.

"I tried to get to lay down at 4 o'clock this morning but was up 10 minutes later because every time I closed my eyes I'd see this man in the window with some guy's head I had just smoked a cigarette with," Cody Omstead told CTV News.

Greyhound said in a statement that it was cooperating with police to determine what happened. It said that intercity bus travel remained the safest mode of transportation in the country.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton, Allan Dowd. Writing Allan Dowd. Editing by Peter Galloway)

Could it be that the Canadian cannibal, Vince Weiguang Li, may be a Chinese muslim, an uighur?

CAIR's NJ dhimmi Pascrell; "send him praise"

The latest CAIR “action alert” is asking the RoP faithful to write, email, call or fax a note of “thanks” to NJ congressman Bill Pascrell. Pascrell, a democrat, defended the ummah during a hearing yesterday of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing & Terrorism Risk Assessment.

(Hat Tip, zTruth) The same hearing where the ISNA & MPAC tried to oppress testimony given by Steven Emerson, be given equal time with one of their experts or halt the hearings all together. Congressman Brad Sherman didn’t buckle and the inquiry proceeded.

Rep. Pascrell expressed strong disagreement with Rep. Peter King's (R-NY) remarks that Muslims are not doing enough to help law enforcement fight terrorism.

Responding to the NYC “terror train” ads, due to appear in September (just in time to raise the terror level) during the holy terror month of ramadan, the NJ dhimmi congressman said; “I am deeply disappointed in any public official or media outlet that would use harsh rhetoric against this ad campaign which simply seeks to answer people’s questions about Islam. This is exactly the kind of dialogue we need. Instead of making people fear one another, we should bridge the gaps in our collective knowledge. As it says in the ad, whether it comes to questions about Islam or questions about our communal homeland security strategy – ‘you deserve to know.’”

Pascrell has been a shill for the islamic radicals for years. A quick google search reveals a long history of capitulation and dhimmitude.

New Yorkers know better than anyone in this country what islam is all about. These ads placed on subway cars will only remind them of the horror muslims have brought to Madrid, London, Washington and their own city. If anything, these ads will increase anti-muslim bias. It'll be viewed as a slap in the face of New Yorkers on the 9/11 anniversary.

This campaign is just another tactic to enable the ummah to point to any and every little incident against an arab and claim racism, islamophobia and hate crimes. Education is always the answer to the ignorance of the kafir. Slowly we are turning from infidel to kafir, the United islamic States is only 2 or 3 generations away. Unless we “nip-it-in-the-bud”!

Batman Fudge Anyone?

I just finished this pan of peanut butter cup fudge for Christopher. He’s coming this weekend and this is his favorite because it tastes just like a Reese Peanut Butter Cup.

I also made a half batch that he can eat while he's here, so he'll be able to take this one home with him. Two of his favorite things, peanut butter cups and Batman!

Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Recipe;

Mix together 1 cup melted butter, 4 cups peanut butter (I use Jif), 5 cups powdered sugar, 1 cup brown sugar and 3 tbs. vanilla. Spread on cookie sheet or cake pan.

Topping;

On low heat, melt 3/4 cup butter and 1 bag of chocolate chips together, then spread over peanut mixture, refrigerate and enjoy!

Attention "Motor-Heads", My SS!

The anticipation is comparable to being pregnant. In less than 9 months I will be driving out of our local Chevy dealer in this striking, fifth generation 2010 Camaro SS.

The color shown is Aqua Metallic Blue and that’s the one I’m getting. The coupe models are due to arrive in the first quarter of 09, convertibles won’t be on the lot until mid 2010. If you're interested in the specs or color options, here's the official site.

As I write this post, Nick is busy on the phone with dealers getting early order information.....

CAIR protectionist Hooper lied

I’m sure most of you are aware of the media blitz in NYC by ICNA and supported by imam Siraj Wahhaj. Fellow blogger, Dinah Lord has been on top of this issue. The promotion has been dubbed the “terror train” and “allah board” by many, is seen as a slap in the face of America, due to commence days before 9/11/08. The campaign to inundate New Yorkers with the “islam is a religion of peace” message, beckoning the “ummah-curious” to call or visit the websites for more information. This scheme became a reality when NYC mayor and the transit authority OK’ed the plan to place these proselytizing ads on city subway cars.

* (editor's note) Personally, I don’t need a billboard, subway car or bus to research this death cult. I’ve been assessing the RoP global actions for many years, prior to 9/11.

The whine-o-gram issued Thursday included video of CAIR lead muslim protectionist, Ibrahim (Doug) Hooper squaring off with Mike Gallagher. In the clip Hooper starts off by clarifying the FOX anchorman’s statements as to the imams character.

The real controversy stems from another unindicted coconspirator, CAIR’s Ibrahim Hooper and his blatant lie while defending the aforementioned imam. Siraj Wahhaj was, in fact, one of 170 unindicted coconspirators in the ’93 WTC bombing in addition to being a character witness for the “blind sheik” Omar Abdel-Rahman. Hooper, always quick to set the record straight, had better do some fact checking.

Faith-based mutual funds; islam on top

In the wake of what many are calling an economic crisis, the latest issue of Newsweek is singing the praises of islamic mutual funds. An article titled “Islam Bullish in Bear Market”, touches on faith-based mutual funds as a way to beat this down market. However, as the title illustrates, the focus is on islamic funds. Citing Morningstar fund data tracker, islamic funds have grown from 500 million to 17 billion dollars over the last decade. Professing islamic funds the “winner” among the faith-based mutual funds.

Enter the unindicted terror coconspirator, CAIR was “Johnny-on-the-spot” with a late day whine-o-gram promoting this proof-positive data to the superior nature of islam.

The righteous nature of the “riba” sets these sharia compliant funds apart from other mutual funds in the faith based category. By giving or donating 2.5 to 3% of the returns made on these funds a muslim can enjoy the benefits of long term investing, without going to hell. These sharia compliant funds, like CAIR, offer little transparency to an ignorant public. Often time’s radical scholars who advise or manage these funds rely on an uninformed public to transfer money to nefarious charity groups.

Sheik Muhammad Taqi Usmani, DJIM advisor and NAIT board member, for a decade was one such elbow in the terror funnel. Besides his fiery rhetoric, his book “Islam and Modernism” encouraging jihad and subjugation of non-believers, was translated into English in 2006 and came to the attention to Dow Jones. Quietly and swiftly, Dow Jones accepted the imam's resignation and removed all ties to his "imam fund" and NAIT.

These islamic funds need to be highly scrutinized if not outlawed in America.